Menu

Albizia julibrissin f. rosea – Pink Persian Silk Tree

The Pink Persian Silk Tree in Max’s garden is past its best. The snappily named Albizia julibrissin f. rosea is unmistakably in its second, or even third, flush of youth. Last week, before the wind and wet rushed in and ruffled its tassels, it was in full finery. Although many spent blooms litter the drive enough remain to make a spectacular display. It has dropped perhaps two points on the Bloomin’ Marvellous Scale. As this is scored out of one million, you must understand it is still quite impressive. Slow to come into leaf, the flowers following on the foliage’s coat tails, this member of the pea family is a summer treat. This afternoon one of the branches had dropped low enough for me to capture, at arm’s length and with a certain amount of winging it, one of its remaining flowers, alongside faded blooms and seed pods. Just lovely.

Faded blooms add emphasis to the later ones; seed pods add promise for the future, That’s a beautifully composed photo of thirds – the final being the bloom. No doubt you have a broom in your toolkit, though a bit difficult to handle if you’re riding a bike*. 😉

Several of these were planted in the courtyard of the old San Jose City Hall back when it was built in the 1950s. In the 1970s, they shaded the courtyard, but allowed enough sunlight through for roses and lily-of-the-Nile to bloom. Their arching limbs were so elegant at ground level. From upstairs, their flat topped canopies looked like grassy hills. Because they were seed grown (not ‘Rosea’) the bloomed with a slight variety of color. Most were pink. Some were rosier. Others were more tan. I distinctly remember that one off in the distance was almost white. The building is being renovated, and the few silk trees that remain are at that age where they will be removed. The building will undoubtedly get one of those cheap and common landscapes with crape myrtles and London plane. How sad.